The Weird Way Watching TV Is Seriously Stressing You Out

The claim: Before you settle in for another epic binge-watch of your favorite edge-of-your-seat show, listen up: According to a study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, watching others (even characters on TV) deal with stressful situations could make your own cortisol levels rise. How? Stress is seriously contagious.

The research: Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Technische Universität Dresden in Germany recruited 211 people to test whether observing others in stressful situations would trigger empathetic stress and spike cortisol levels. Subjects were paired up and watched (either through a one-way mirror or video transmission) as their partners were given hard math questions and peppered with questions designed to induce stress. Salivary cortisol levels were measured 20 and 10 minutes before the stressor started, and in 10-minute intervals after it stopped. The results: 24% of observers experienced a significant jump in cortisol levels just watching these stressful situations play out via video.

The meaning: We know that watching someone go through a heart-pounding predicament in person can boost stress levels, but merely seeing it happen on a screen can have the same effect. As for whether this translates to tense TV shows? “Our results suggest that this could indeed be possible,” says study author Veronika Engert, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute. “There is contagion when stress is only observed virtually.”

The bottom line: “Generally a stress response is something we wish to have if confronted with a stressor—it provides us with the necessary resources to deal with it," says Engert. A standing Thursday night date with Scandal won't negatively impact your health, but if you're constantly watching stressful shows, it could be another story. “Stress becomes harmful if it's chronic. Long term, elevated cortisol levels can, for example, drive down our immune system and cause metabolic problems.” So maybe cool it on the couch marathons for a bit.